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Cape Horn

noun
  1. a headland on a small island at the S extremity of South America: belongs to Chile.
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Horn

[hawrn]
noun
  1. Cape. Cape Horn.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for cape horn

Horn

noun
  1. Cape See Cape Horn
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Cape Horn

noun
  1. a rocky headland on an island at the extreme S tip of South America, belonging to Chile. It is notorious for gales and heavy seas; until the building of the Panama Canal it lay on the only sea route between the Atlantic and the PacificAlso called: the Horn
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horn

noun
  1. either of a pair of permanent outgrowths on the heads of cattle, antelopes, sheep, etc, consisting of a central bony core covered with layers of keratinRelated adjectives: corneous, keratoid
  2. the outgrowth from the nasal bone of a rhinoceros, consisting of a mass of fused hairs
  3. any hornlike projection or process, such as the eyestalk of a snail
  4. the antler of a deer
    1. the constituent substance, mainly keratin, of horns, hooves, etc
    2. (in combination)horn-rimmed spectacles
  6. a container or device made from this substance or an artificial substitutea shoe horn; a drinking horn
  7. an object or part resembling a horn in shape, such as the points at either end of a crescent, the point of an anvil, the pommel of a saddle, or a cornucopia
  8. a primitive musical wind instrument made from the horn of an animal
  9. any musical instrument consisting of a pipe or tube of brass fitted with a mouthpiece, with or without valvesSee hunting horn, French horn, cor anglais
  10. jazz slang any wind instrument
    1. a device for producing a warning or signalling noise
    2. (in combination)a foghorn
  12. (usually plural) the hornlike projection attributed to certain devils, deities, etc
  13. (usually plural) the imaginary hornlike parts formerly supposed to appear on the forehead of a cuckold
  14. Also called: horn balance an extension of an aircraft control surface that projects in front of the hinge providing aerodynamic assistance in moving the control
    1. Also called: acoustic horn, exponential horna hollow conical device coupled to the diaphragm of a gramophone to control the direction and quality of the sound
    2. any such device used to spread or focus sound, such as the device attached to an electrical loudspeaker in a public address system
    3. Also called: horn antennaa microwave aerial, formed by flaring out the end of a waveguide
  16. geology another name for pyramidal peak
  17. a stretch of land or water shaped like a horn
  18. British slang an erection of the penis
  19. Bible a symbol of power, victory, or successin my name shall his horn be exalted
  20. blow one's horn US and Canadian to boast about oneself; bragBrit equivalent: blow one's own trumpet
  21. draw in one's horns or pull in one's horns
    1. to suppress or control one's feelings, esp of anger, enthusiasm, or passion
    2. to withdraw a previous statement
    3. to economize
  22. on the horns of a dilemma
    1. in a situation involving a choice between two equally unpalatable alternatives
    2. in an awkward situation
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verb (tr)
  1. to provide with a horn or horns
  2. to gore or butt with a horn
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See also horn in
Derived Formshornless, adjectivehornlike, adjective

Word Origin

Old English; related to Old Norse horn, Gothic haurn, Latin cornu horn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cape horn

horn

n.

Old English horn "horn of an animal," also "wind instrument" (originally made from animal horns), from Proto-Germanic *hurnaz (cf. German Horn, Dutch horen, Gothic haurn), from PIE *ker- "horn; head, uppermost part of the body," with derivatives refering to horned animals, horn-shaped objects and projecting parts (cf. Greek karnon "horn," Latin cornu "horn," Sanskrit srngam "horn," Persian sar "head," Avestan sarah- "head," Greek koryphe "head," Latin cervus "deer," Welsh carw "deer"). Reference to car horns is first recorded 1901. Figurative senses of Latin cornu included "salient point, chief argument; wing, flank; power, courage, strength." Jazz slang sense of "trumpet" is by 1921. Meaning "telephone" is by 1945.

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horn

v.

1690s, "to furnish with horns," from horn (n.). Earlier in figurative sense of "to cuckold" (1540s). Meaning "to push with the horns" (of cattle, buffalo, etc.) is from 1851, American English; phrase horn in "intrude" is by 1880, American English, originally cowboy slang.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
cape horn in Medicine

horn

(hôrn)
n.
  1. One of the hard, usually permanent structures projecting from the head of certain mammals, such as cattle, consisting of a bony core covered with a sheath of keratinous material.
  2. A hard protuberance that is similar to or suggestive of a horn.
  3. The hard, smooth keratinous material forming the outer covering of animal horns.
  4. Any of the major subdivisions of the lateral ventricle in the cerebral hemisphere of the brain: the frontal horn, occipital horn, and temporal horn.cornu
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
cape horn in Science

horn

[hôrn]
  1. Either of the bony growths projecting from the upper part of the head of certain hoofed mammals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. The horns of these animals are never shed, and they consist of bone covered by keratin.
  2. A hard growth that looks like a horn, such as an antler or a growth on the head of a giraffe or rhinoceros. Unlike true horns, antlers are shed yearly and have a velvety covering, and the horns of a rhinoceros are made not of bone but of hairy skin fused with keratin.
  3. The hard durable substance that forms the outer covering of true horns. It consists of keratin.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with cape horn

horn

In addition to the idioms beginning with horn

  • horn in on
  • horns of a dilemma, on the

also see:

  • blow one's own horn
  • lock horns
  • pull in one's horns
  • take the bull by the horns
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.